Deforestation is technically the cutting down of trees and not replacing them, instead the land is used for various activities. This term can be substituted by clearing or clearance. This problem can occur naturally or can be caused by human. Normally, people cut down trees for the purposes of development. Trees are a crucial part of an ecosystem in that most animals rely on trees for shelter and food (Bjornlund, 2010).
Also, trees are niches for some species of micro-organisms which rely on them as hosts and mutual beneficiaries. Such micro-organisms fix nitrogen for trees which provide them with shelter and food. Trees are important for supply of oxygen and in the mean time they take up carbon- dioxide from the atmosphere hence purifying the environment. Trees also have a great impact in environmental conservation. They act as windbreakers, they play a part in the reduction of global warming, they absorb sound and other greenhouse gases from the environment, and they act as catchment areas and reduce erosion amongst others (Bjornlund, 2010).
As noted earlier, trees, hence forests are a fundamental element in an ecosystem. Deforestation is sometimes inevitable. This is so because trees need to be harvested at some point in life. In America, trees are cut down to allow for land, in which agricultural practices are conducted such as farming. In as much as these practices are important, deforestation still remains a central issue when dealing with an ecosystem. Removal of plants as said before, would lead to increased erosion and surface flows as well as displacement of organisms in an ecosystem. These organisms are hence bound to encroach other territories where they form patches, minimizing their chances of survival over time. With increased deforestation, and less afforestation, species are bound to go extinct. This is normally attributed to loss of biodiversity due to loss of habitat (Owens, 1999).
When a particular animal species is lost in an ecosystem, there is usually an ecological imbalance. For instance, when giraffes (primary consumers) are lost, lions are bound to die because of lack of food; the giraffes. The lions are hence prone to look for food elsewhere meaning they will find a different prey to feed on such as gazelles. This means the population of gazelles is bound to drop and the cycle continues. Remember all these effects are due to clearance; plants being the main source of food for giraffes in such an ecosystem. This, amongst others concludes the detrimental effects of deforestation hence the essence of sustainable management practices (Owens, 1999).
In the United States of America, deforestation is at an extensive degree due to ignorance of the value of trees, poor management practices and wanting environmental laws concerning the same. This has necessitated prompt sustainable management practices such as re-afforestation as well as sustainable harvesting of trees. Laws concerning the conservation of trees have also been enacted to ensure that deforestation is checked. Re-afforestation would encourage the growth and development of more trees which will positively affect the ecosystem (Spilsbury, 2012). More animal populations, for instance, birds will be encouraged and this will consequently enhance biodiversity in such an ecosystem. With more trees, there will be more patches or even niches to accommodate the various ecological species. When many trees grow together they form a matrix; forest which encourage inter and intra-actions between ecological species. The effect of all these is a balanced ecosystem.
Sustainable forest management is amongst the strategies used in America to check on deforestation. It entails broad goals including social, environmental and economical. It basically means taking care of forests and using it in a manner that does not inflict damages to an ecosystem plus maintaining the resources it encompasses ensuring that it serves the current and future generations. Through this, a balance between preservation of the well being of forests and social demands for a forest and it products is created. It is this balance that is crucial for the survival of forests and the ecosystem within (Spilsbury, 2012).
Many programs have been set aside to enable for the management of forests sustainably including the emergency pilot program which helps count affected merchantable timber affected naturally; hurricanes, fires, and windthrow. The other program is the Rainforest Alliance which entails various certification options for forest management such as Group Certification, Controlled Wood Certification and Non-Timber Forest Products amongst others.
Forest management and sustainable measures of controlling deforestation are critical procedures in ensuring continued biodiversity in an ecosystem. The root cause of deforestation is overpopulation, urbanization and globalization which should be checked prior to forest management in America.
